Twist in Budiriro snakes storm

The story behind the Budiriro 2 snake video that has gone viral has taken a new twist amid revelations that the prophet behind the 2013 witches that pretended to have fallen off a winnowing basket is the same man at the centre of the snakes storm.

The self-styled prophet Alfred Mupfumbati, commonly known as Madzibaba Mateo, claims to be the one who assisted the man who features in the videos and pictures dragging two pythons along Gatawa Street in Budiriro.

Many have been left perplexed as to who owned the snakes with some fingers pointing to the prophet while some described it as a scam to enhance his shrine.

The self-styled prophet Alfred Mupfumbati, commonly known as Madzibaba Mateo, claims to be the one who assisted the man who features in the videos and pictures dragging two pythons along Gatawa Street in Budiriro.

The snakes are alleged to have been haunting the man after being left in his custody by his late father.

Mupfumbati is the same prophet who was at the centre of the story of witches fell from a winnowing basket in 2013 and it came out that the alleged witches had been hired to boost the prophet’s ‘business’.

Suspected Budiriro witches Elmet Mbewe and Christine Nyamupanda shy away from the camera after being released at the Mbare Magistrates’ Courts in Harare

The women who were hired from Landas in Chihota were convicted by both the criminal court and traditional court for their act.

While the man who is captured in the video pulling the two snakes could not be contacted as his availed number was not reachable, Mupfumbati claims that he (Mupfumbati) was the one who exposed the snakes that were haunting the man.

When H-Metro visited the shrine in Budiriro on Tuesday, the place had a handful of people who claimed they had come for healing or cleansing sessions.

H-Metro was welcomed by one Francis, who asked if the news crew had an appointment with Mupfumbati adding that the crew had to pay a US$10 booking fee before learning that it was the news crew.

He went inside the shrine to inform the self-styled prophet about his visitors and he invited the crew into his small room which he uses for consultations.

“The (snakes) man was among my clients on Saturday who had come for deliverance.

“He came in with his bag and as I began to deliver him I felt a heavy burden on him, told him to go outside so that I could get to the second part of his deliverance.

“I ordered him to walk around the neighbourhood and whenever he felt a load in his back pack he had to return.

“After a while he returned and said he felt weight in his bag; I ordered him to open it and the snakes came out. I ordered him to drag his snakes and throw them in the river.

“I know people don’t believe me and they say I stage managed the act; if you also think I stage managed that, maybe let me first demonstrate using one of you so that you have something to report on,” said Mupfumbati threatening to unleash his spiritual powers on the news crew.

Asked to comment about the Budiriro witches incident, Mupfumbati is still adamant that it was not stage managed arguing that the case had been used to tarnish his image.

“I don’t know how those women ended up at my house and what I did was to try and use my healing powers to address the challenge.”

Mupfumbati has since dared the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to try and capture the ‘spiritual snakes’ claiming that he had the powers to send the snakes to attack the Parks officials.

“I also have issues with Parks authority who claim that I was committing a crime and all I can tell you if they come at my shrine while I’m performing my rituals, I have powers to command the snakes to attack them.